Matrix Operators in Georgian Indexical Shift

This paper examines indexical shift in Georgian (South Caucasian), which has been noted but understudied in the literature. I argue that its matrix-level shift provides evidence in favour of the shifty operator theory (Anand and Nevins, 2004; Shklovsky and Sudo, 2014; Deal, 2020, i.a.). In these approaches, an embedded indexical is interpreted against a non-utterance context whose parameters are determined by an operator. Crucially, this operator is distinct from the verb that introduces it, which logically allows for the operator to merge freely in the structure. This prediction is evidenced by shifted indexicals in Georgian matrix clauses.